


Flowers in the Basement

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Dialogue, Community: comment_fic, Denial of Feelings, Episode: s03e07 Offspring, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Ficlet, Flowers, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, POV Angel (BtVS), Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-16 23:46:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9294980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: Angel is surprised when he finds a profusion of color throughout the dark basement of the hotel.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "Any, Any/Any, the first time Person A gives Person B flowers" on comment-fic: http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/759563.html?thread=99996683#t99996683
> 
> This starts off with a reasonable interpretation of canon in the first scene and concludes with a canon divergent, wish-fulfillment AU after the line break. I borrowed a lot of dialogue from 3.07 (Offspring) in the first half of the fic.
> 
> There's a change from the original fill on Livejournal to correct a minor error.

**The First Time Cordelia Gave Angel Flowers**

Angel is surprised when he finds a profusion of color throughout the dark basement of the hotel. Cordelia has filled the basement with vases of flowers, and naturally, Angel asks her what's going on as she adjusts the arrangement in a particular vase.

"Oh, it's just so dark and lifeless down here, I thought I'd brighten it up a little for you," she explains. "You can't exactly go out and enjoy the sunny fields of nature, but that doesn't mean we can't bring a little bloom into your darkness."

Angel wouldn't say it, but that's what she does for him every day. She brightens up his world, first his wardrobe and now his dreary basement. And really, if he's being honest, her presence lights up his entire life.

He picks up one of the vases, sniffs it, and doesn't detect a signature floral scent. As a vampire, Angel has a sensitive nose. "These are fake," he concludes.

"Yeah. You put something real in this hellhole and it dies like that." The harsh sound of her snapping fingers and the word "hellhole" echo over and over in his mind, hurting him a little. Cordelia shows she cares in so many tiny ways, but then she says something blunt and harsh like this. Does she really think this place is a hellhole? Does she think being with him is hell?

He must have been silent too long, because she's starting to look irritated with him. "Thank you, Cordelia," she prompts.

"You know, I've lived a long time--" Angel begins. To be honest, he's not sure where he's going with this.

She interrupts him, but he's not bothered by it. "Which reminds me. Next birthday, you think we could skip the two hundred and fifty odd candles on the cake and the inevitable fire marshal and just go with a little song?"

Angel feels that weird, familiar tenderness in his heart he's felt so often around her lately. That's his Cordy (not  _his_  really, but he likes to pretend). She's caring and practical to the core. He hasn't celebrated his birthday for more than a century, but Cordy mentions marking the occasion as if he did it every year. And she acknowledges his advanced age matter of factly.

Angel knows his feelings are showing all over his face when he looks at her. He finishes the sentence he began earlier. "And I've never known anyone like you."

Later, Fred comes downstairs and talks to him about "kyerumption" and "moira." Angel isn't ready to voice his feelings about Cordelia to a third party, so he denies that they exist at all, but Fred isn't dumb enough to believe his lies. She comments that plastic flowers are her favorite because they "never fade." After everything else she said, it seems to have a special significance. Wesley interrupts his "yelling" at Fred and asks with a cheerful smile who brought him all of the flowers. Angel is embarrassed after the conversation with Fred. Cordelia's gift seems to imply more after Fred's insinuations. She would have a field day with this, and he doesn't need Wesley and her to gang up on him.

"Nobody!" he claims. He's certain neither of his friends believe him.

**The First Time Angel Gave Cordelia Flowers**

Angel doesn't give Cordelia flowers until several months later, when they start a relationship and she moves into the hotel with him (after anchoring Dennis to an object that allowed him to be transferred from her apartment to the Hyperion, of course. Dennis is the newest, invisible member of Angel Investigations.) 

When she moves in, she brings that little cactus Angel gave her years ago as a housewarming present. Angel is surprised to see it's still alive. Who knew Cordy had developed a secret green thumb?

Angel worries that moving in with him will kill Cordelia's plant. He doesn't know a lot about botany, but he's aware that cactuses live in arid regions with a lot of sunlight.

Cordelia quickly devises a practical solution. She installs a grow lamp in the basement and places her cactus there.

Angel visits a plant nursery that is open at night, looking through the selection of plants. He stands near the selection of  _Phalaenopsis_  orchids. Each one has a unique pattern or coloration. He is particularly drawn to one with intricate fuchsia veining and spots on a white background. It reminds him of Cordelia for some reason.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" he asks the nearby nursery employee. "I'm looking for a gift for someone. Would these plants do well indoors?"

She nods. "Sure. These usually do well indoors. They don't need that much direct sunlight."

 _Good, then the grow lamp should work._  "How easy are they to care for? I know how experienced Cordy is with plants."

The employee smiles at him. "Phals are great for first time orchid owners. The care instructions are available on our website, but they're pretty simple." She hands him a business card, which Angel holds onto. Angel purchases the plant he was eyeing as well as the materials the employee suggests to help Cordelia grow her new plant.

When Angel gives Cordy her newest housewarming present, she pecks him on the lips, which makes Angel stutter like a lovesick fool. She puts her plant next to the cactus under the grow lamp. 

Cordelia's cactus and her orchid do well in the basement, which is no longer a "hellhole" that can't support real, living things. Angel is cheered up every time he goes into the basement and sees the lifeless flowers that can never fade near the vulnerable yet thriving authentic plants. Symbolically, the basement is now a blend of him and Cordelia, the living and the dead, the everlasting and the precious brevity. If they can coexist side by side, Angel has hope that him and Cordy can as well. And every day, Cordelia proves him right.


End file.
